Time-temperature-property curves for quench sensitivity of 6063 aluminum alloy

The quench sensitivity of 6063 alloy was investigated via constructing time-temperature-property（TTP） curves by interrupted quenching technique and transmission electron microscopy（TEM） analysis.The results show that the quench sensitivity of 6063 alloy is lower than that of 6061 or 6082 alloy,and the critical temperature ranges from 300 to 410℃ with the nose temperature of about 360℃.From TEM analysis,heterogeneous precipitate β-Mg2Si is prior to nucleate on the（AlxFeySiz） dispersoids in the critical temperature range,and grows up most rapidly at the nose temperature of 360℃.The heterogeneous precipitation leads to a low concentration of solute,which consequently reduces the amount of the strengthening phase β＇＇ after aging.In the large-scale industrial production of 6063 alloy,the cooling rate during quenching should be enhanced as high as possible in the quenching sensitive temperature range（410-300℃） to suppress the heterogeneous precipitation to get optimal mechanical properties,and it should be slowed down properly from the solution temperature to 410℃ and below 300℃ to reduce the residual stress.

Effects of current density on microstructure and properties of plasma electrolytic oxidation ceramic coatings formed on 6063 aluminum alloy

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) ceramic coatings were fabricated in a silicate-based electrolyte with the addition of potassium fluorozirconate (K2ZrF6) on 6063 aluminum alloy, and the effects of current density on microstructure and properties of the PEO coatings were studied. It was found that pore density of the coatings decreased with increasing the current density. The tribological and hardness tests suggested that the ceramic coating produced under the current density of 15 A/dm2showed the best mechanical property, which matched well with the phase analysis. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization curves proved that the coating obtained under 15 A/dm2 displayed the best anti-corrosion property, which was directly connected with morphologies of coatings.

Influence of heat treatment conditions on bending characteristics of 6063 aluminum alloy sheets

Bending deformation behaviors of solution treated(ST),natural aged(NA)and T6tempered6063aluminum alloy sheetswere studied by three-point bending tests.The changes of bending force,interior angle,bending radius and sheet thickness in thefillet region were analyzed by experimental measurements and numerical simulations.The results showed that the bendingcharacteristics were strongly dependent on the heat treatment conditions.The T6alloy sheets were bent more sharply and localplastic deformation occurred severely in the fillet region.However,the ST and NA alloy sheets exhibited relatively uniform bendingdeformation and large bending radius.The bending force of T6alloy was the highest,followed by the NA alloy and that of the STalloy was minimum.After unloading,as compared with the ST and NA alloys,the springback of T6alloys was markedly larger.Theaging time showed a positive sensitivity on the springback and non-uniform bending deformability.The bending characteristics areattributed to the combined effects of yield strength,yield ratio and coefficient of neutral layer.

Quantitative analysis of orange peel during tension of 6063 alloy spun tubes

Severe surface roughening during plastic deforming of aluminum alloy parts can produce ＂orange peel＂ defects. To analyze ＂orange peel＂ of 6063 aluminum alloy tube quantificationally, the tensile tests of trapezoidal specimens were carried out. The tubes with different grain sizes were obtained by spinning and subsequent annealing heat treatment. The macroscopical behavior of surface roughening was characterized by surface roughness Ra using a laser scanning confocal microscope. The corresponding microscopic behavior was reflected by microstructures of specimens and in-situ observation using electron back-scattered diffraction（EBSD）. The obtained results show that the surface roughness increased firstly with increasing strain and then decreased slightly. There was a critical strain for aluminum alloy tube, below which ＂orange peel＂ defect would not occur. For the tube with a mean grain size of 80, 105, 130 and 175 μm, the critical strains were 10.17%, 5.74%, 3.15% and 1.62%, respectively. Meanwhile, the surface roughening behavior was produced by serious inhomogeneous deformation between grains as strain increased, and was aggravated as the grain size increased due to the larger local deformation in larger grains.

Damage and fracture mechanism of 6063 aluminum alloy under three kinds of stress states

To study the damage and fracture mechanism of 6063 aluminum alloy under different stress states,three kinds of representative triaxial stress states have been adopted,namely smooth tensile,notch tensile,and pure shear.The results of the study indicate the following.During the notch tensile test,a relatively higher stress triaxiality appears in the root of the notch.With the applied loading increasing,the volume fraction of microvoids in the root of the notch increases continuously.When it reaches the critical volume fraction of microvoids,the specimen fractures.During the pure shear test,the stress triaxiality almost equals to zero,and there is almost no microvoids but a shear band at the center of the butterfly specimen.The shear band results from nonuniform deformation constantly under the shear stress.With stress concentration,cracks are produced within the shear band and are later coalesced.When the equivalent plastic strain reaches the critical value（equivalent plastic fracture strain）,the butterfly specimen fractures.During the smooth tensile test,the stress triaxiality in the gauge of the specimen remains constant at 0.33.Thus,the volume of microvoids of the smooth tensile test is less than that of the notch tensile test and the smooth specimen fractures due to shearing between microvoids.The G-T-N damage model and Johnson-Cook model are used to simulate the notch tensile and shear test,respectively.The simulated engineering stress-strain curves fit the measured engineering stress-strain curves very well.In addition,the empirical damage evolution equation for the notch specimen is obtained from the experimental data and FEM simulations.

Effect of Current Density on Microstructure and Corrosion Behavior of Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation Coated 6063 Aluminum Alloy

Plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO) coatings were fabricated on 6063 aluminum alloy in a cheap and convenient electrolyte. The effect of different current densities, i e, 5, 10, 15, and 20 A/dm2on the microstructure and corrosion behavior of coatings was comprehensively studied by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), stereoscopic microscopy, potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS), respectively. It is found that the pore density decreases and the pore size increases with increasing current density. The XRD results show that the coatings are only composed of α-Al2O3and γ-Al2O3. Potentiodynamic polarization test proves that the coating formed under 10 A/dm2possesses the best anticorrosion property. The long time EIS test shows that the coating under 10 A/dm2is able to protect the aluminum alloy substrate after long time of immersion in 0.59 M NaCl solution, which confirms the salt solution immersion test results in 2 M NaCl solution.

Effects of nugget alloying on microstructures and properties of resistance spot welded joints of aluminum and steel

The resistance spot welding of 6063-T6 aluminum alloy and 16Mn steel was studied by nugget alloying. The results indicated that the Al-steel joint had characteristics of welding-brazing. The nugget zone consisted mainly of α-Al solid solution with dislocations and fine Mg2Si particles. The interface zone had a double-layer structure： Fe2Al5 layer at steel side and Fe4Al13 layer at Al nugget side. The nugget alloying has a significant effect on the joint properties by changing phase composition and refinement of grains. When alloy elements Cu, Zn, Ti and Ni were added, the tensile shear load of Al-steel joints reached 2 780 N, 2 910 N, 2 915 N and 2 929 N respectively, which increased by 24. 1%, 29.9%, 30. 1% and 30. 7% respectively compared with that （2 241 N） of joint without nugget alloying. Therefore, it is an effective way for improving mechanical properties of resistance spot welded Al-steel joints.

Forward hot extrusion forming process of 4-lobe aluminum alloy helical surface rotor

The 4-lobe aluminum alloy helical surface rotors are widely applied in industry,such as superchargers.Generally,the conventional manufacturing processes of aluminum alloy helical surface are time consuming and costly.To make the manufacturing processes more flexible and economical,the forward hot extrusion process is proposed to form the 4-lobe aluminum alloy helical surface rotors.In this work,we implement both simulations and experiments to the forming process of the helical surface,of which the material is 6063 aluminum alloy.The forward hot extrusion process is simulated with finite element method in DEFORM-3D.Based on the simulation method,the influences of different extrusion parameters,such as extrusion temperature,extrusion speed and extrusion ratio,on the extrusion process are studied.According to the numerical simulation results,the optimal case is chosen to carry out the experiment.Furthermore,the experimental results show that the surface is smooth;the toothed fill is full;the twist angle in the length direction is evenly distributed;the value of twist angle is roughly in line with the design angle,which is mainly due to the modified die structure,having a positive and significant effect on the increment of twist angle.Therefore,the twist angle has an increase of about 76%,which verifies the modified die structure.

Influence of dynamic recrystallization on microstructure and mechanical properties of welding zone in Al-Mg-Si aluminum profile during porthole die extrusion

The effect of dynamic recrystallization(DRX)on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 6063 aluminum alloy profile during porthole die extrusion was studied through experiment and simulation.The grain morphology was observed by means of electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD)technology.The results show that,at low ram speeds,increasing the ram speed caused an increase in DRX fraction due to the increase of temperature and strain rate.In contrast,at high ram speeds,further increasing ram speed had much less effect on the temperature,and the DRX faction decreased due to high stain rates.The microhardness and fraction of low angle boundaries in the welding zones were lower than those in the matrix zones.The grain size in the welding zone was smaller than that in the matrix zone due to lower DRX fraction.The decrease of grain size and increase of extrudate temperature were beneficial to the improvement of microhardness.

Formation and elimination of burst phenomenon in ultrasonic-assisted resistance brazing

A two-step ultrasonic-assisted brazing method and its associated apparatus were developed to make 6063 aluminum alloys joints with Al-Si-Mg filler metal. The burst phenomenon and the effect of ultrasonic direction and time, as well as the welding joint geometry on the burst phenomenon were investigated. The results show that the burst phenomenon occurs in the liquid filler metal under the effects of high current density, heat, and interaction force. The burst phenomenon is eliminated when the oxide film on the edge of the cross-section of the two parent metals is removed with more than or equal to 6 s ultrasonic time. A model of formation and elimination for burst was proposed, through which the blasting phenomenon can be controlled by changing the ultrasonic time and the geometrical shape of the welded joint.